Curing of the [URE3] prion by Btn2p, a Batten disease-related protein

URE3] is a prion (infectious protein), a self-propagating amyloid form of Ure2p, a regulator of yeast nitrogen catabolism. We find that overproduction of Btn2p, or its homologue Ypr158 (Cur1p), cures URE3]. Btn2p is reported to be associated with late endosomes and to affect sorting of several proteins. We find that double deletion of BTN2 and CUR1 stabilizes URE3] against curing by several agents, produces a remarkable increase in the proportion of strong URE3] variants arising de novo and an increase in the number of URE3] prion seeds. Thus, normal levels of Btn2p and Cur1p affect prion generation and propagation. Btn2p-green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins appear as a single dot located close to the nucleus and the vacuole. During the curing process, those cells having both Ure2p-GFP aggregates and Btn2p-RFP dots display striking colocalization. Btn2p curing requires cell division, and our results suggest that Btn2p is part of a system, reminiscent of the mammalian aggresome, that collects aggregates preventing their efficient distribution to progeny cells.